


Reminiscing

by NullanyThorm



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Chapters 100+ Spoilers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 04:59:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4692938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NullanyThorm/pseuds/NullanyThorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zeno's birthday comes, and the Hungry Bunch wants to do something special! Meanwhile, Zeno's reminiscing to his little dragon siblings about years passed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reminiscing

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday, Zeno! I wanted to write up a quick something for Zeno's birthday, and this is what wound up happening. Happy Sunshine Day everyone!

“Eh… Zeno’s birthday?”

The blond looked at the group, all six of whom seemed kind of excited. Was it really the end of August already…? The blond gave a small hum.

“Zeno’d forgotten completely,” he commented. Well, he lost track of the time so easily. He gave a small chuckle, looking at all the excited kids. He guessed they wouldn’t really understand. Besides… Maybe, if it was them, he could actually be happy to celebrate another year, this time. “Alright, alright. Let’s celebrate, okay?”

He heard them cheering, and almost instantly the camp seemed to go into motion. His birthday… Huh? It probably wasn’t anything special for them to celebrate, but it made him a little happy. He watched as the others started getting together some impromptu celebration, until the Hakuryuu walked up in front of him.

“Zeno, if you wouldn’t mind… I was wondering if you could tell us a little more about yourself. You’ve experienced so much, right? I’d like to hear stories of you and the original generation.”

“Ah, well,” Zeno said as he thought on it, “Zeno’s not really sure. He has plenty of stories of the others, but Zeno never really did much. You’re overestimating him, just because he’s an original, Hakuryuu! Though, all this hubbub really brings back memories...”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_“Zeno, happy birthday!”_

_Despite all the effort that had apparently gone into the makeshift party, Zeno couldn’t help but laugh. Even the red-haired king had paint and glue from the decorations in his hair and robes. Perhaps because he was the youngest, but it seemed like Guen had gone all out too. The only ones who didn’t seem at all disheveled from what Zeno would have guessed was an incredibly thrown-together party plan were Abi and Shu-ten._

_“You’re eighteen now, right?” Hiryuu-sama gave a smile as he placed his hand on Zeno’s head. The paint on his hands was probably fresh as, even though because of the similar colors it would be hard for anyone else to tell, he felt it mixing in with his hair. “Congratulations!”_

_“That’s great and all, my king, but can you wash your hands? The paint’s getting in my hair!”_

_Yet again, he couldn’t help but laugh along with Guen as the king made a face that could only be translated as “oops”, quickly drawing his hands away from the small Ouryuu’s head._

_“Congratulations, yellow!” He felt Guen’s human hand on his head this time, giving a small whine. “Happy birthday!”_

_“Guen! Hand! Paint!” He protested rather loudly, only getting a bear hug from the white dragon in response._

_“Well, I still don’t think it was worth all the effort that the useless king and Hakuryuu put into the decorations, but at least there’s a party to be had out of it,” Of course, that would be all Shu-ten would think about, “And since it’s your birthday, you’re drinking too, Ouryuu!”_

_“Right right...” Zeno was already exhausted from all this attention. He went and sat down near Abi, reaching up to stroke the bird that always seemed to be with him. “Thanks for the party everyone! Let’s not get too riled up though, okay? Especially you, my king. You got way too worked up for my sake. By the look of things you put more than anyone else into this.”_

_“Ah, guilty...” Hiryuu commented, and Zeno swore he saw Shu-ten rolling his eyes. “I just wanted to put a lot of effort into it, so that you know you’re cherished! After all, no matter what happens… You and the others are like precious children to me. I wanted you to be happy.”_

_Zeno smiled, this time allowing the hand he felt on his head. Well, he could get the paint out later. “Thank you. Really though, you didn’t have to go through all the effort. I guess we should enjoy it while it’s here, though.”_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Hm… I would have expected the originals to be more...”

“More like the legend?” Zeno asked, laughing at how the Hakuryuu’s expression told him that was exactly what he was thinking. “Legends are just old stories that are glorified over time. Not everything lives up to them, even if the legends are true, you know.”

“It still feels a bit underwhelming… They were a lot like us, weren’t they?”

Zeno nodded, smiling. “Though, Zeno thinks it’s more the other way around. You’re a lot like them.”

“You know, Zeno-kun, reminiscing is a sign of old age.”

Zeno pouted as the Rokuryuu’s voice interrupted the conversation. “Weren’t you out hunting, Rokuryuu?” The lad had said something about wanting to make a big spread for his birthday, so he hadn’t expected the green dragon back so soon.

“Hak and Yona-chan relieved me for a little while. Anyway, if you’re going to reminisce, there are things I’m sure would be more interesting than some dusty old men.”

“Eh?” The Rokuryuu’s words had completely lost him. He’d expected a lot of the others would want to learn more about the dragons. He guessed he should have expected Rokuryuu to be more interested in something else, but… Well, he never really knew what was in this one’s head.

“You were married at some point, right? Was she a beauty? A good cook? Tell me more about her.”

Ah… He should have known.

“Both!” He grinned. “Of course, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Rokuryuu. Zeno thinks she was a beauty, though. And Zeno did most of the cooking, but she was good at it too! She rubbed off onto Zeno a lot...”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_“Eh, your birthday? Why didn’t you say something!?”_

_Zeno quickly held up his hands, trying to keep the girl in front of him from getting up. Honestly, she was so sick but still she was making a fuss. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything, after all._

_“Because I knew this would happen! Kaya, you’re sick. I don’t want you to strain yourself too much. I’m just happy having someone to spend it with, you know?”_

_Luckily, the words seemed to get her to settle down. She kept in her position under the covers, reaching out her hand to Zeno with a smile on her face. “Your birthday is special,” she said as she squeezed it, causing Zeno to smile. “So of course Kaya wants to do something special for it!”_

_“Being able to spend it with you is special enough, so don’t worry.” He tried to laugh away her small pout, knowing that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her. Why did Kaya always want to do things that were too much for her? “Really! I’m happy you’re thinking of me.”_

_“Let me at least cook for you tonight!” Ah, she was so stubborn. “You deserve a little rest on your birthday, don’t you think? You’ve done so much, Zeno.”_

_“So, if it was your birthday, would you rest in bed Kaya?” He couldn’t help laughing at her response to his rebuttal, putting a hand on her head as she’d quickly shook her head. “I’ll do it, okay?”_

_“I’m helping!” And, as he’d thought… She stood up. “I’m not sick enough I need to stay in bed. Besides, you shouldn’t be doing everything around the house on your birthday! I’m fine, it’s a good day, so my sickness shouldn’t act up too much.”_

_He never could keep her in bed, could he? Honestly, this girl was such a handful. He never could win against her. He smiled, holding out his hand, as it seemed he had little choice at this point._

_“Fine, come on. Let’s get dinner started, then.”_

_He felt the warmth of her hand wrapping around his, and saw her smiling at him. “Right! And… Happy birthday, Zeno.”_

_So… This is what everyone meant when they were saying it was special spending a day like this with someone you loved._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Eh, what’s everyone talking about?”

“Ah, Yona-chan,” Jae-ha turned as the red-haired princess commented. “Done hunting already?”

She nodded, smiling. “It’s Shin-ah’s turn, though Yun’s saying between you, me, and Hak, we should have so much already that perhaps Shin-ah won’t need to get much.”

“You all are really doing too much for Zeno! Though he can’t deny… He’s looking forward to being able to eat a lot of the lad’s cooking!”

Yona just smiled, sitting down in the little circle that was now forming. “So, what were we talking about?” she asked again.

“Zeno was telling us about his time with the originals!” Kija commented, “Though, Jae-ha was asking him about his wife as well. It’s been a bit of an enlightening conversation! I’ve enjoyed getting to learn more about one of my dragon brothers.”

Zeno gave a small laugh at that. “Hakuryuu really is much like his predecessor, though. The original Hakuryuu was also very zealous, talking about how we were brothers. He was always very kind.”

The princess hummed along with an intake of breath, smiling. “Would you mind talking about them a little more? I’d like to hear more about them, especially King Hiryuu. It’s hard to believe there’s someone who really lived through the legend here, you know?”

“Ah, Zeno understands. If it’s for the miss, he’d be happy to talk some more!” He gave a small smile. It was rare for them to have so much interest in him, though perhaps he should have expected it due to the circumstances.

“You said you felt like you were closest to Hiryuu before, right?” Kija commented, “I’d like to hear more about that! I really want to know more about the original King Hiryuu.”

“Ah, I would too!” Yona commented, “I know you said he was a normal human, but I’d like to know more about him as a person. Especially since you seem so fond of him.”

“Ah, Zeno is, miss. Though… Honestly, being with everyone is a lot like back then.” He smiled as he looked over the faces with him. Honestly, they really did remind him so much of his king and brothers. “It’s been awhile since Zeno’s seen them, but it feels kind of like they’re still here when Zeno’s with you.”

“He must have been a great king!” Hakuryuu commented with his usual enthusiasm, which made Zeno smile slightly.

“He was, and Zeno was very close with him. Though... ” He paused for a moment. He wasn’t sure, at first, if he should mention his thoughts on certain things to them. They seemed to notice he was hesitating, though.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, Zeno-kun, you don’t have to.” It was Rokuryuu this time, and Zeno was kind of happy for it.

“Thank you, Rokuryuu. It’s just… Zeno loved Hiryuu-sama like a brother, or maybe even a father. However, back then, Zeno was the youngest. So, he felt that perhaps… Perhaps Hiryuu-sama was a bit overprotective.”

“Eh? How so?”

Zeno smiled at the princess’ comment. Of course, no one understood his thoughts. “Well… That is...”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_“Ah, Zeno! Happy birthday.”_

_His king was smiling as he handed Zeno a plate of food. He’d learned at this point that Zeno didn’t really like extravagant birthday presents, so just wound up doing things like this most years. Zeno wasn’t really sure to think about this birthday, though. And his king seemed to notice it._

_“Hm? Zeno, what’s wrong?”_

_“Ah, it’s nothing,” Zeno said in attempts to alleviate Hiryuu-sama’s worries. By the look on his face, though, it didn’t work. “It’s just… I’m turning twenty-two this year...”_

_“You’re really growing up, aren’t you?” The king’s smile seemed a little strange to Zeno. Perhaps it was just because of his worries, but he felt like Hiryuu-sama seemed to not be as sincere as he usually was. “It feels like just yesterday you were seventeen, doesn’t it?”_

_“Isn’t that strange, though…?”_

_“Hm? What about it?” Hiryuu seemed oblivious. Perhaps he was just worrying too much…? “Humans age so quickly, after all. It makes sense that time’s flown.”_

_“But… I haven’t really grown at all have I?” He was twenty-two this year. He should be catching up with his older brothers in height and maturity at this point. “I… Still look seventeen, even though I’m twenty-two now.”_

_He felt the warmth of his king’s hand on top of his head. He could tell the king looked a bit worried, so perhaps there was something to be worried about? His thought was instantly cut off when Hiryuu-sama’s arms were wrapped around him._

_“Hiryuu-sama…?”_

_He craned his head to look up at the other, but he couldn’t get a good look at Hiryuu’s face. The hug confused him. Did Hiryuu-sama know something he didn’t? He tried to separate himself, but the king’s grip just tightened._

_“Don’t worry, Zeno. It’ll be fine. No matter what happens, I’ll be watching over you, okay?”_

_Zeno smiled, trying his best to nod through Hiryuu’s hug. “Alright, alright. Thank you, Hiryuu-sama...”_

_The hold was released, and Zeno was looking into his king’s eyes as the other smiled back at him. “Good, good. And, happy birthday, Zeno.”_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So he didn’t tell you about your powers, hm?” Rokuryuu put on a bit of a sour face, though it seemed like everyone was in the same boat with this one. “Well, I’ve heard of parent lions tossing their cubs off cliffs, but this is something else.”

“Ah, Hiryuu-sama was just very overprotective!” Zeno commented. It was true that if he was told, he probably would have reacted badly. In some ways, he was kind of thankful to Hiryuu-sama for sheltering him -- just a bit. “Zeno was just a bit sheltered is all. Don’t worry about it.”

“... You weren’t angry?”

The sudden voice caused everyone to jump. They turned and saw the Seiryuu there -- already sitting down amongst the group.

“Shin-ah… When did you get back?” Yona asked, with good reason. The boy was so quiet, no one had even noticed him return.

“... About halfway...”

Zeno smiled, scooting over towards the Seiryuu and leaning against him, patting him on the head slightly. “Well, it’s fine, Seiryuu. Of course, Zeno was mad at first.” The other didn’t really seem to understand him, though, so a bit more explanation was necessary. “You know they say children understand their parents’ thoughts more when they grow up, right? Zeno was mad at first, but after a while realized Hiryuu-sama was just trying to protect him! Nothing to be mad about, you know?”

There was a slight pause before the Seiryuu nodded. Zeno wasn’t sure he fully understood, but he’d leave that there for now, just cuddling up against the fluffy warmth of the wig he wore.

“So, is all the hunting done, Seiryuu?”

He nodded in response. “Yun’s… Cooking now.”

“Yay!” Zeno grinned. “Zeno will look forward to it!”

“If only we could make it a real party!” The Hakuryuu commented, “You’ve been having your birthday all by yourself for ages, right?”

“I couldn’t imagine how lonely that is...” Yona glanced over at him, and Zeno could read her eyes like an open book.

He smiled, quickly getting up and circling around the group, ruffling the hair of each and every one of them.

“Zeno’s fine, don’t worry! It’s true that Zeno’s been lonely for a while, but he’s not now. That’s what’s important, right?”

The looks on their faces told Zeno that none of the children were happy with this answer. Still, looking around at the four made Zeno grin. “Really, Zeno’s fine! Besides, it’s Zeno’s birthday, so listen to him!”

 Well, they weren’t happy with it, but at the very least their faces seemed to go back to normal. What he wasn’t expecting, however, was for all of them to do some kind of looking-at-each-other telepathy before moving in for a hug.

 “Eh!?” Zeno couldn’t do much but allow it. Yona, Hakuryuu, and Seiryuu all moved in for hugs, meanwhile Rokuryuu was just behind him with his hand on his head (he wasn’t the hugging type after all).

 “Happy Birthday Zeno!”

 Honestly… These kids were so affectionate! Zeno smiled. It was different, but… Somehow having these four around him really reminded him of back when he’d hear birthday greetings from Hiryuu-sama, Guen, Shu-ten, and Abi. It was nostalgic.

“Thank you! Now… You’re squishing Zeno so can you give him a little room to breathe!?”


End file.
